`<glossSurfaceForm>`

The <glossSurfaceForm> element specifies an unambiguous presentation of the <glossterm> that might combine multiple forms. The surface form is suitable to introduce the term in new contexts.

The <glossSurfaceForm> element is most often used for terms that also specify the <glossAcronym> element. In that context, the <glossSurfaceForm> element contains the term in a manner that introduces both the term and the acronym, so that later references to the term can be replaced with the acronym alone. See the <abbreviated-form> element for a full description of how the surface form is used together with acronyms.

Content models

See appendix for information about this element in OASIS document type shells.

Inheritance

- topic/p concept/p glossentry/glossSurfaceForm

Example

The following topic defines the term "Anti-lock Braking System". Within the topic, the <glossSurfaceForm> element provides a version of the term that combines both the primary term and the acronym. This allows references to the topic from <abbreviated-form> to different versions of the term in different contexts.

<glossentry id="abs">
  <glossterm>Anti-lock Braking System</glossterm>
  <glossBody>
    <glossSurfaceForm>Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)</glossSurfaceForm>
    <glossAlt>
      <glossAcronym>ABS</glossAcronym>
    </glossAlt>
  </glossBody>
</glossentry>

Attributes

The following attributes are available on this element: Universal attribute group and outputclass.